A friend told me I may only wear jewelry made or sold by a Jew. Is that true?
Must Jewelry Be Made or Sold by a Jew?
Question
Answer
It is not true that one may only wear jewelry made or sold by a Jew.
Sources
There is no rule that an item must be made or sold by a Jew. The Rambam writes that “images which gentiles made for aesthetic purposes” are permitted, and only those made for idol worship are forbidden. The Shulchan Aruch rules the same way: decorative images made by non-Jews are permitted, because “they were certainly made for decoration.” So an ornament is not forbidden simply because a non-Jew made it.
- Rambam, Hilchot Avodah Zarah 7:6 — images that gentiles made for decoration are permitted for benefit; only those made for idol worship are forbidden
- Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 141:1 — images found in cities are presumed made for decoration and are permitted, unless there are signs they were made for idolatry
Author
Rabbi Shay Tahan
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